What they saw when they found the body of Bodrov. How Sergei Bodrov Jr. actually died

On the morning of September 20, 2002, the Moscow film crew of Sergei Bodrov went to the Karmadon Gorge of the Caucasus Mountains to shoot the new film Svyaznoy on location. A day earlier, shooting was carried out in the Zelenokumsk women's colony. In the future film, Sergey worked, in his words, “like a 3-in-one coffee bag”: director, scriptwriter and performer leading role».

Alas, the “mix” did not help the candidate of art history to gain recognition from film experts in yet another of his undertakings. The movie literally died. But more on that below.

Who is Sergei Bodrov, many remember today. Fifteen-year-old son of a talented Soviet director Sergei Bodrov Sr. played several episodic roles in his films. But later he literally broke into the movie screens with his charm and at the same time the rigidity, and sometimes even cruelty, of the characters of his heroes.

Spectators in the mid-nineties of the last century and at the beginning of the 2000s were delighted with the views feature films"Brother" and "Brother-2", in which the actor played the main roles.

The named years were confused by their ideology, saturated with the blood of criminal showdowns and Chechen wars. When before that the calm subjects of the Federation, intoxicated by the democracy that had fallen on them, wanted to break ties with it. What kind of cinema should be at such a socio-political crossroads, neither the scriptwriters nor the directors knew. At their own whim, each of this creative field followed its own path of trial and error. "Brothers" of actor Sergei Bodrov Jr. - from these searches.

Something similar to them was conceived in Svyaznoy, but with a philosophical and mystical bias. Later, mysticism manifested itself in practice. Bodrov, how main character, according to the script, dies. The script for himself was written by Sergei Jr. The film was expected.

... The whole day the team worked productively on the set in the gorge, the actors, cameramen, lighting and seven horsemen of the Vladikavkaz theater completed the program in the late afternoon. Gathered in the capital North Ossetia. We left, anticipating tomorrow's nature. But there was no continuation.

At eight o'clock in the evening, local time, a rumble and crackling was heard in the mountains. Almost no one paid attention to this noise: they say, mountains! But the group was immediately, in an instant, overtaken by a terrible ice avalanche of almost a hundred meters in height.

Later, experts will say: the hanging glacier that broke off, mixing along the way with huge boulders and trees, rushed into the valley at a speed of up to two hundred kilometers per hour.

Imagine a car on the pavement with such a speed - and it becomes scary! People, horses, cars - everything was captured by an avalanche. Somewhere she stopped.

But no one knew exactly where to look for the film crew. They searched long and hard, for months picking out by hand, later by excavators, huge stone boulders. They drilled at 10, 20, 50 meters, and all wasted.

Then scientists were connected, modern facilities detection of human bodies and machines and even psychics. Specialists, volunteers, relatives of the victims worked until 2004. But no one was found!

More than a hundred people were listed as missing. And the remains of the Kolka glacier above them became a mass grave, even if they lie a hundred meters from each other, and possibly nearby.

In 2004, a group of scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences came to this gorge to study dangerous natural processes. And they found the remains of people, but the actor was not among them.

Passed away on the rise creative career. By the time of his death, he had already starred in several films and declared himself as a talented film director and screenwriter. And, perhaps symbolically, that his death occurred during the filming of the next film.

Nothing foretold trouble

That serene September day in 2002 was an ordinary working day for Bodrov's film crew. But Sergei, according to his widow Svetlana, was very sad. He talked to her on the phone longer than usual, as if he had a premonition of trouble.

At about 6-30 in the morning, Bodrov's group in a Gazel minibus left Vladikavkaz for the mountains to the filming location. At about eight in the evening, due to poor light, the work was stopped. People began to collect equipment. At this very time, a huge ice block and collapsed on the Kolka glacier. And he began a rapid movement along the gorge, sweeping away everything in its path. This glacier completely covered the Karmadon Gorge, from where Bodrov's group intended to leave just at that time.

Incredible versions of the tragedy

Almost immediately after the tragedy in the Karamadon Gorge appeared great amount the most incredible versions of what happened.

The first to believe that the members of the Bodrov film crew were still alive were their relatives and relatives. There was a very real reason for this. Bodrov and his colleagues could well have taken refuge from the elements in a mountain tunnel located in a gorge. They had some provisions, and it was possible to live under a landslide for some time. Another thing is that it took a year and a half to get to the rescue tunnel, and the rescuers did not find anything there except the remains of wild animals.

We are absolutely sure that the members of the Bodrov group are still alive to this day and the local highlander elders. According to their mystical legends, you can find entire inhabited ghost villages in which people live who were taken to their mountains, for example, climbers who are considered dead.
Some believe that Bodrov's death is closely related to his character in the film The Messenger, which is in Karmadon. This hero dies at the end of the film and the death of the actor is associated with a mystical coincidence.

There is a version that Bodrov was killed by the angry spirit of Genghis Khan himself. Like, the spirit of the great conqueror could not forgive the plan of Father Sergei to make a film about the most powerful Mongol Khan.

There are many more such hypotheses. That's just believe in them for the most mentally healthy people does not seem possible.

In September 2002, the whole world was excited by the news of the disappearance in the Karmadon Gorge, which is located in North Ossetia, seven members of the film crew, headed by Sergei Bodrov Jr. The reason for the disappearance was the sudden collapse of the Kolka glacier. As a result, several hundred people were reported missing. The body of the actor has not been found to this day, which gave rise to many speculations and assumptions about how Sergei Bodrov died.

Actor's popularity

Sergei Sergeevich Bodrov, Jr. is known to almost every Russian audience. He received his first fame thanks to the role played by Ivan Zhilin in the film " Prisoner of the Caucasus". It was followed by no less significant - the role of Danila Bagrov in the dilogy "Brother" and "Brother-2". And it was thanks to the filming of these films that he became a popular favorite.

Prior to this, the actor periodically starred in several episodic roles that did not leave significant footprint. In particular, Sergei Bodrov began his career back in 1986 with a small role in the TV movie I Hate You, where he played a simple boy in an equestrian club. This was followed by several roles in the films "SIR" and "White King, Red Queen." After 1996, real fame came to the actor and he increasingly began to act in films. In 2001, the picture "Sisters" was released on the screens of cinemas, where Bodrov Jr. acted as a director and screenwriter and, in addition, starred in an episodic role. We can assume that this film was his real debut.

In the same year, 2001, he was the host of the first season of the then popular show " The last Hero". This talented person planned to repeat his directorial success by filming the film "The Messenger". Unfortunately, the tragic events of autumn 2002 prevented these plans from coming true. It was on the day when Sergei Bodrov Jr. died that the filming of the picture was completely stopped.

Shooting the film "The Messenger": interesting facts

Filming of The Messenger began in July 2002. The casting was conducted personally by Sergei Bodrov Jr. It was on his recommendations that the performers of the main roles were approved. An interesting fact is that the actor Alexander Mezentsev got to the shooting thanks to a spoiled take during the audition for the film, and Khashbi Galazov ate the heart of a viper at the casting, since it was his character, according to the script, who was supposed to do it on the screen.

Filming in the Karmadon Gorge was planned to be carried out in August for two weeks, but due to the fact that Bodrov had a second child at that time, the whole process was postponed to the end of September.

The team that was involved in the production of the picture arrived in Vladikavkaz on September 18th. It was planned to start mountain shooting from 9 am on the 20th. But due to bad weather conditions the process had to be postponed for one o'clock in the afternoon, which, unfortunately, led to tragic consequences.

Only a few shots were taken, after which the group was forced to stop filming by seven o'clock in the evening, as there was poor lighting.

When everyone was ready to go to the hotel, the Kolka ice massif collapsed from the top of Mount Kazbek. He filled the entire Karmadon Gorge exactly in the place where Sergei Bodrov Jr. died with his film crew.

Unfortunately, out of the entire team, only two people managed to survive: Anna Dubrovskaya and Alexander Mezentsev. By a happy coincidence, at that time they did not go with the group to the mountains, thanks to which they survived. An interesting fact is that it was their characters who, according to the script, were supposed to survive at the end of the unmade film.

Actor's death

No less mysterious is the question of how Sergei Bodrov died, because the body of a celebrity has not been found so far. This makes it impossible to find out at least some reliable information.

According to official data, communication with the film crew disappeared immediately after the collapse of the glacier. Together with them, more than 150 people disappeared - tourists who pitched their tents along the 12-kilometer path along which this terrible element passed.

According to some local residents, an hour and a half after the tragedy, filmmakers reported on the radio that they were still alive. Officially, this information has not been confirmed, and no evidence exists.

There is no exact information about how Sergei Bodrov actually died. The actor is still considered missing, and until his body is found, no one can say anything with accuracy.

body search

Active work to search for the missing was carried out for several months. Rescuers, local residents and relatives of those who died participated in the search operations. Of the more than 150 missing, no one survived, while only 19 bodies were found. Officially, 127 people are listed as missing. The search operations were finally stopped back in 2004, although attempts to find Bodrov's body by some enthusiasts continue to this day, and all in order to find out at least something about how Sergei Bodrov died.

It was assumed that the film crew could take refuge in the tunnel, which is located at the site of the tragedy, but when it was cleared, no traces of human presence were found.

The gorge where Sergei Bodrov died

The Karmadon Gorge is located in North Ossetia and before the events of autumn 2002 it was very popular among tourists because of its unusual beauty. After the tragedy, this place became known to almost every inhabitant of our country and is a place of pilgrimage for those who have lost relatives or friends there.

Above the gorge is the Kazbek volcano. It is considered to be inactive for a long time, although the echo of the past greatness results in the periodic release of volcanic gases, but nothing more. According to experts, it was precisely this passive activity of this volcano that caused the unexpected descent of the Kolka glacier.

memory of an actor

While many are thinking about how Sergei Bodrov died, where his body is located and what actually happened on the evening of September 20 in the Karmadon Gorge, in the world domestic art the memory of the actor is actively honored.

Several books have been written about the life and work of Bodrov Jr., many television programs have been filmed and documentaries. But most of all, the musicians he loved paid tribute to the actor. They dedicated a number of songs to him, which from time to time they perform at their concerts, accompanying them with shots from Sergei's films or simply projecting his photograph. Among these performers, the most famous music bands"Agatha Christie", "Bi-2", "Semantic hallucinations"; singer V. Butusov and singer I. Saltykova.

He went missing in 2002 in the Karmadon Gorge in the Caucasus (North Ossetia). It happened around the morning of September 20th.

"Missing" in this case means that neither the remains of Sergei, nor any other material evidence of his death were found. This gives a very illusory hope to his relatives and food for a colossal amount of rumors to outsiders.

descended glacier

According to the official version, Bodrov Jr. allegedly died due to a descending glacier. There are 2 glaciers in the Karmadon Gorge area: Mayli and Kolka. The latter caused the death of the film crew of Sergei Bodrov (they filmed the film "The Messenger"). An avalanche that descended from a glacier is a colossus of enormous destructive power. The glacier that killed the Moscow filmmakers that day weighed about 200 million tons. The ice mass was moving at a speed of 160-180 km / h. Surviving anyone in her path is simply unrealistic.

Due to the avalanche, the village of Upper Karmadon was completely wiped off the face of the earth. About 100 people died (these are only those whose remains were found or at least something is known about them). The bodies of people from the cinematic group, including Bodrov himself, were not found. After the descent of such avalanches, the remains are often found after a hundred years. In all likelihood, confirmation of Sergei's death may not come soon.

Why did this happen

In connection with the fact of the death of the film crew, the press often raises the topic of why the multi-ton ice block then set in motion. According to some observers, the Kolka glacier thawed at the end of summer and therefore descended on September 20th. Professional geologists say that this is impossible. A glacier that has been formed for many thousands, or even millions of years, cannot simply melt and suddenly start to move.

Another version seems more likely. The day before in that mountainous area deep underground there was a movement of tectonic plates. As a result, on September 20, a powerful gas-chemical release occurred. Only this could move the glacier. According to the testimonies of tourists from the group of Dmitry Solodky and Olga Nepoba, who were in Caucasus mountains on the eve of the tragedy, long before it, a threatening rumble was heard coming from the ground. This sound could indicate movements occurring in the thickness of the rock.

If these formidable omens had been taken into account then, Sergei would probably be alive now. In justification for people who did not pay attention to such a serious moment, we can say that tectonic shifts occur extremely rarely. This even in mountainous areas can happen once every 100 or even 1000 years. Not everyone is “lucky” to observe such “Earth breathing”.

The deep memory of him was preserved only in folk traditions. Not without reason in the Caucasus since ancient times it was customary to settle higher in the mountains, and not at their foot. Ancestors kept the memory of the tragedies that happened centuries ago in the foothill areas.

Possibly alive

More optimistic citizens put forward an alternative version: Bodrov Jr. could have escaped. Confirmation of the likelihood of this, among other things, are the testimonies of some eyewitnesses who survived the descent of the glacier. One witness later told reporters how the glacier bypassed her five-story building.

Highlanders know many stories about how people who miraculously survived an avalanche settled in high mountain villages. As a result of the inflicted injuries, some lose their memory, others can be seriously crippled. If someone discovers such a crash victim, they can be saved. A small, but still, Sergei Bodrov had a chance to survive.

In the Genaldon Gorge (North Ossetia), the remains of one of the victims (possibly Sergei Bodrov) of the ice collapse in September 2002 were found. This was announced by a representative of the press service of the Republican Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

According to him, the remains were discovered by employees of the Kaskad Mountain Club, who were laying a pipeline along the banks of the Genaldon River. Oleg Rzhanov, the head of the enterprise, said that fragments of the body of the Moskvich brand were washed out of the mudflows by streams of river water, inside which there were scraps of decayed clothes, as well as human remains.

The news excited the entire North Ossetia. Officially, the search for those killed during the descent of the Kolka glacier was stopped more than a year ago. Relatives of the missing have been excavating themselves for a long time, but last spring they, too, resigned themselves to the loss of their loved ones. All work was also turned off at the site of the tunnel, where the film crew of Sergei Bodrov could allegedly hide. And then - just 100 meters north of this very tunnel - they found the body of a man.

On Saturday, employees of the Institute of Geology Russian Academy sciences when bypassing the glacier saw rags that stuck out of a mess of mud, stones and ice. Out of curiosity, they approached, and there were the remains of a man. Shoes were scattered a little to the side.

This is not a body, but only bones. What do you want - two years have passed, - say geologists Anatoly Gurbanov and Stanislav Bubnov. - Only experts can say who it is. But we immediately thought - is it really a Brother? ..

So far, it can only be argued that the remains belong to a man aged 30-35 years. Everything else will be clarified after the examination, - said Georgy Tkhapsaev, head of the forensic medical examination department of the Prigorodny district of North Ossetia. - We will be able to give the first expert opinion only in 10 days.

Experts say that the body was remarkably well preserved, although the speed of the glacier reached 250 km / h. In such a meat grinder, only small parts could be preserved. According to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, most likely, the body was brought to the surface by the waters of the glacier, which this summer began to melt especially actively.

Did they find the body of Sergei Bodrov?

For the first time, a victim of a glacier was found in the very heart of the ice mass, where its thickness is more than 100 meters. No one has ever tried to search there.

Vladimir Ivanov, head of the information department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of North Ossetia: “Several local residents were present during the work of operatives and rescuers, who had previously assisted in the work of volunteer searchers on the glacier in the winter of 2003. And they, in general, were discouraged by the very location of the remains. It was through this place that the road to the ice blockage passed, which led to the adit, which was punched to the northern portal of the Karmadon tunnel.

It was assumed that the group of Sergei Bodrov Jr. could have escaped in the tunnel. It's about 150 meters down the glacier. But experts already said then that people could be anywhere in the gorge.

So far, the melting ice has released only one victim. Operatives and rescuers took away the remains, but did not start any new searches. Now, by trousers, jacket and boots, they will try to figure out who they still dug up: local resident or a crew member. It is already known for sure, judging by the age, this is not Bodrov himself.

Georgy Tkhapsaev, head of the forensic department of the Prigorodny district of North Ossetia: “We can say that the bone remains, judging by anatomical structure, are the remains of a male corpse, judging by the teeth, according to their degree of wear, at the age of about 30–40 years.

This is the 19th of 123 victims of the glacier. The Ministry of Emergency Situations fears that the find will again lead people who have lost relatives to Karmadon. But now the relatives again have at least a ghostly hope of finding the bodies of loved ones.

Recall that on September 20, 2002, Sergei Bodrov went with a film crew to shoot a couple of episodes for the new film "The Messenger". This was his first big project, where he was both a director and a screenwriter and a leading actor. But the actor did not succeed in fulfilling his dream. As a result of an ice collapse, the entire film crew died, which, after many attempts, was never found. An ice avalanche with a height of more than 100 meters moved at a speed of 150-170 km / h and, according to experts, no one could survive.

As a result of the glacier's descent, the village of Upper Karmadon was completely destroyed, where more than 100 people died. Nothing remained of it, not even the foundations of the houses. There is no need to talk about fragments of bodies ...

According to the guide, there were three three-story buildings of the Karmadon sanatorium nearby, where people from all over the country came to be treated. Built back in Soviet times, the health resort was famous for its unique medicinal waters. Now there are only thickets of bushes, grass and a gentle hillside: Kolka has changed the whole relief.

Now in the Karmadon Gorge nothing reminds of that tragedy. A new forest has already grown on the slopes of hills and rocks. The rubble of huge boulders was cleared away. Paved new road and power line.

One of the most picturesque tourist routes passes here, and on the route, which winds in a serpentine, climbing the mountains, you can meet buses with travelers. Near the place of death of the group of Sergei Bodrov Jr., they always make a stop: the guides tell what happened here. In the gorge there are two monuments to those who died as a result of the glacier collapse. You can almost always see fresh carnations on them, despite the fact that the monuments are located a little away from the tracks.

However, according to geologists, the history of the Kolka glacier is not over. It is established that it descends regularly with a frequency of once every 40-70 years. During this time, people, alas, manage to forget about what happened earlier and again settle in the lowlands of the picturesque Karmadon Gorge ...